MTSUC Thrift Shop – Open Every Thursday | 11am – 8pmYou’ll discover some amazing finds every Thursday at the Mount Seymour United Thrift Shop. Open from 11am to 8pm. Outdoor sales open at 10:30am.We accept cash only.
Donations are gratefully accepted everyday except Sundays. Please drop off your items in the shed east of the Thrift Shop.
The Tea Shoppe is closed during July and August but will reopen again on September 6.

Living Room – Tonight, July 19 | 7pmLiving Room is a drop-in support group for people living with mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, bipolar and psychotic disorders.
We are a confidential peer-support group who gather to receive and give support by sharing our painful and joyous experiences with each other. We pray together and help each other remember that we are not alone.
The group meets at MSUC on the 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings at 7pm
*Upcoming meetings: July 19, August 2, August 16

Summer SundaysOur fearless Children and Youth Leaders take the summer off!
There is no formal programming for children/youth over the summer so we invite congregation members to sign up for one Sunday during the summer to hangout with our youngest members.
A bin of outside toys, colouring sheets, games, activities are provided.
Please email Anne at annemountseymour@gmail.com with your availability OR sign up on the Action Table.
Dates Needed: July22, 29. Aug 5, 12, 19, 26

MTSUC is NUT FREE during Camp Spirit – July 30 – August 3 Due to peanut allergies, we ask that you kindly do NOT bring any items with peanuts or tree nuts into the Church during the week of July 30 – August 3 when Camp Spirit is in session.Camp Spirit – July 30 to August 3For information and registration visit: www.campspirit.ca

Blueridge Chamber Music Concerts are Back!The Blueridge Chamber Music Festival offers innovative programming, dazzling international artists, engaging lectures and master classes, and unforgettable performances.
This year the festival will be holding four evening concerts at Mount Seymour United. A great opportunity to see world-renowned chamber musicians.Concert dates: August 9, 12, 16 and 19 at 7pm
Festival Pass: $75/$45
Single Tickets: $25/$15
For more info visit: www.blueridgechamber.org

Home Baking Request for Annual Picnic On Friday August 10 we are having our annual picnic at Panorama Park with folks from First United Church in the Downtown Eastside. From past picnics we have learned that they really appreciate the home baking. If you are going away for part of the summer and will not be around for the picnic, but have time now to do some baking for the picnic, we have freezers to store your home baking!
Please contact the office, Carla Wilks (wilkscarla@gmail.com) or Katherine McKay (kmquerns@gmail.com)

Annual Picnic – Friday August 10 | 10am-2pmOur annual picnic at Panorama Park with staff and community members from First United Church is coming up!Your Presence:
Throughout the year we send money, sandwiches, groceries and goods over the bridge to the Downtown Eastside. This is an opportunity to give and receive welcome, to be in relationship, to be church together. Please come to the park to enjoy lunch, hang out and have a conversation with a new or old friend.Parking:
The parking lot at Panorama Park is very busy and space is limited so please plan to car pool. Car Pool sign up sheet is available on the Action Table.Fruit and Desserts:
Please bring donations of desserts and fruit to the church Thursday afternoon or no later than 9am on Friday, August 10.

Worship at Cates Park – Sunday September 2 | 10amJoin us on Sunday, September 2 at 10 am for our annual outdoor service at Cates Park (weather permitting). Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on, and a potluck dish to share after the service. We will be setting up our potluck lunch at the covered picnic area close to the boat launch area. Transportation available for those who need it.

Blessing of the Backpacks, Bags, and Briefcases – September 9Everyone transitioning to school, work, retirement or just a regular routine is invited to bring their backpack, briefcase or handbag to be blessed during this all-ages worship service on Sunday, September 9 at 10am. Let us enter the fall season knowing we are surrounded with love and have everything we need to grow and learn. Invite your friends and family to come!

Sacred Word Meditation –
Fall Sessions will resume: Friday, September 14 | 9:15amSacred Word Meditation, also referred to as Lectio Divina is led by Anne Ellis Friday mornings at 9:15am in the library. Sacred Word Meditation is a Christian prayer-form that is the slow and contemplative praying of the scriptures. It is both a practice for community while also being deeply personal. Come experience what the Divine wishes you to hear. No experience required, everyone welcome to drop in.

Death Café – Tuesday September 18 | 7-8:30pmA Death Café is a get together and a conversation about life and death. It is not a lecture nor a grief support group, though grief may be expressed and shared.
Death Café takes place on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, starting September 18.
Anne Ellis hosts this popular gathering. All mortals are welcome at this free event. Upcoming Fall dates: September 18, October 16, November 20

Board Game Night! – Friday September 21 | 7pmJoin us for an evening of fun and games for the whole family. All ages and abilities are invited to come and play – everything from Twister to Settlers of Catan, Hi Ho Cherry Oh, to Dominion, Barrel of Monkeys to Boss Monster. Upcoming Fall dates: September 21, October 26, November 23, December 21

John Stetch Trio will be the featured performers at St. Andrew’s United Church’s Jazz Vespers on Sunday, July 29 at 4 pm. Steinway Artist John Stetch is a 6-time Juno Nominee, and has written over 50 compositions for solo piano, jazz combo and more recently some classical chamber formats. Stetch is especially interested in bringing classical and jazz together, and fusing ethnic and popular music with his personal jazz stamp. Accompanying Stetch will be André Lachance on bass, and Dave Robbins on drums. Please join us and bring your family and friends. Everyone welcome!St. Andrew’s United Church, 1044 St. George’s Avenue, North Vancouver
Info: 604-985-0408 / events@st-andrews-united.ca / www.st-andrews-united.ca

SUMMER COOKING CAMPS AT ST. ANDREW’S UNITED – JULY 31 & AUGUST 9

St. Andrew’s Is offering cooking camps this summer for kids 9 to 11 years old. Kids will learn cooking basics as they prepare Mexican, Italian and Japanese food. The cooking classes are paired with outdoor activities and, of course, the fledging chefs eat the food they make. Class size: 6 minimum and 8 maximum. Half day camp is onJuly 31 from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm. Cost: $60. Full day camp is on August 9 from 9:30 am – 4 pm. Cost: $95. For more information or to register, please contact Event Coordinator Susan Cowan at events@st-andrews-united.ca or 604-985-0408.
1044 St. George’s Avenue at 10th Street in North Vancouver

ALZHEIMER CAFE VANCOUVER – TUESDAY AUGUST 7 | 4-6pm

There will be an Alzheimer Cafe on Tuesday August 7 from 4pm to 6pm at Beulah Garden Homes 3350 East 5th Avenue, Vancouver. This is a gathering for people with dementia and their caregivers. It is a time of learning, fellowship and refreshments.
For more information, talk to Carla Wilks.
Email alzheimercafevancouver@gmail.com to register.

The First United Listening Ministry team is honoured to support the lives of community members in our small way. There are many challenges we witness – homelessness, addiction, poverty, mental health issues – sometimes all of these and others too. But as we pay attention to what our community members tell us, we can also share joyfully in their gifts. In the past few weeks, for example, one of our members treated me to poems by W.B. Yeats and Nobel prize-winning Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz – all memorized and quietly shared. Another quotes passages from the Bible, an even more remarkable feat in a second language. One of our members has an incredible facility for word puzzles – she turns scared into sacred. Another is a colourist – she draws intricate patterns and fills them with all the colours of the rainbow.

Perhaps the greatest gift we encounter is the gift of courage. We see it in the quiet determination to make it through each day often, it seems, from a place of deep faith, despite the hardships endured. As one of the members said to me last week, quoting his favourite poet, “God gives people a reason not to give up.” As a Listener, I am very grateful for this opportunity to experience and honour so many gifts within the First community.

Please consider donating the following items that are currently in need:

Sign up for Mount Seymour United Weekly eNews

Weekly Service

Children & Youth Programs available.Communion: First Sunday of every month. All ages or faith traditions welcome.Intergenerational services: Approximately once a month. Children are invited to stay for the whole worship service.